President Joe Biden has nominated Jennifer Sung to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sung is a member of the Oregon Employment Relations Board where she hears disputes between public employees and their employers as part of the three-judge panel.
She’s a former union organizer and labor lawyer. Sung’s nomination to the Court of Appeals requires a confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
“When I found out she was being nominated, I thought she was a perfect nomination,” said. J. Ashlee Albies, who serves on the labor and employment section of the Oregon State Bar with Sung. “She has represented working people. Not many people on the bench that have done that.”
Sung worked in private practice in Portland and San Francisco, where she specialized in labor and employment law in state and federal court. In the late 1990s, she worked as a union organizer before attending Yale Law School, where she graduated in 2004.
Sung lives in Portland with her family.
Following her nomination, Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, announced their support for Sung.
“Throughout her career, Ms. Sung has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the public’s interest and in protecting our workers from exploitation,” Merkley said. “I welcome her nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and look forward to supporting her throughout her confirmation process.”
“Diversification of the U.S. courts is essential to providing equal justice to all, and I salute the administration for taking this step toward achieving that long-overdue objective by forwarding an Asian-American woman who has fully earned this nomination with her outstanding record,” Wyden added.